The UILO assesses each disclosure to determine how best it should be advanced. This includes an evaluation of:

• the potential for protection of the technology via traditional intellectual property (patent, trademark, copyright) mechanisms and, what the breadth, enforceability, and freedom to operate of resultant intellectual property is likely to be.
• the competitive advantage and market for the technology, including potential receptor companies
• the suitability of the technology for commercialization according to UBC's global access principles
• appropriate non-commercial knowledge mobilization channels

The assessment phase involves a preliminary assessment normally completed within 30 days of disclosure. During this period a technology transfer manager from the UILO will meet with the principal inventor to ensure that we fully understand the technology and its various aspects. Following this meeting a first cut assessment will be made of the existence of a market for the technology, the existence of prior art that may prevent intellectual property protection, and how ready a disclosure is for any form of commercialization or other mobilization.  Taking into account sector specific considerations this assessment will lead to a series of decisions that influence how the technology advances.

There are a myriad of reasons why a technology may not progress past the initial assessment phase, generally speaking if an invention disclosure is not considered for further advancement it will be either:

• Returned to the inventor for further research if it is too early-stage for any type of dissemination, commercialization or intellectual property protection.
• Closed if there is prior art that will prevent any form of commercialization.
• Under certain circumstances, where there may be some intellectual property, but little chance of commercialization success due to a limited market opportunity, the UILO can assign the rights to the invention to the inventor(s), so that the inventor(s) can try to independently commercialize the technology.

Following a positive initial assessment, disclosures may be advanced through knowledge mobilization channels or enter a full technology assessment, usually completed within a further two months, involving a more in-depth analysis of the intellectual property position and market opportunity.

If the technology is determined to have a potentially high societal, economic, or financial impact best realized through commercialization, the UILO will work with the research team to develop a strategy that may include: obtaining intellectual property protection (usually patenting), working with development organizations (e.g. the Centres for Excellence in Research and Commercialization) to advance the technology, creating a marketing / investment strategy and ultimately licensing or spin-off company formation.

Research outputs that are not necessarily appropriate for commercialization following the full assessment may in certain situations still be advanced with the assistance of the UILO through one or more knowledge mobilization channelss rather than being closed, returned or assigned to the inventors.